Minister visits sea erosion-hit areas

Mangaluru: A Rs 232 crore project to find a permanent solution to sea erosion was being considered, Health Minister U T Khader has said, as he visited areas affected by sea erosion at Ullal in Dakshina Kannada district.

It would include realignment of two breakwaters in the area and the issue would be taken up after discussions with the ministers concerned, he said.

A large tract of land along the sea road near Ullal had been washed away in the strong waves after onset of monsoon.

Locals told the minister that they feared that their houses would be damaged in the near future as there was no sea wall in the area.

The minister instructed the revenue officials to forward a proposal to temporarily relocate the residents in the area to a safer place, an official release here said.

Yesterday, Khader visited Mogaveerpatna near Ullal where the recently placed sea wall had been washed away. He also went around Kotepura, Kodi and areas near the Summer Sands resort where sea walls had been damaged.

The minister directed officials to urgently take up the repairing work of damaged sea walls.

Khader said an estimate was being prepared for the repair and construction works and it would soon be placed before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Ports and Inland Transport Minister Baburao Chinchansur.